Presidency Faults Makinde Over UN Investigation Request on Oyo School Kidnap

The Presidency has dismissed Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde's call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, describing the request as unnecessary and politically motivated.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Federal Government had no objection to international scrutiny if the governor believed there were unresolved issues surrounding the incident, but maintained there was no justification for such a demand.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Onanuga said the government remained open to any legitimate inquiry.

"The governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained," he said.

Onanuga questioned the basis of Makinde's request, arguing that no security agency would intentionally allow schoolchildren to remain in captivity for 56 days. He noted that many of the victims were very young children and said the rescue mission came at a significant cost to security personnel.

"Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?" he said.

The presidential spokesman also pointed out that soldiers and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, lost their lives during efforts to rescue the victims.

He further recalled that one of the abducted teachers was killed while in captivity, describing suggestions of deliberate institutional complicity as implausible.

Onanuga accused the Oyo governor of allowing politics to shape his position, suggesting that his call for a UN investigation was influenced by his national political ambitions.

"It is just unfortunate that Mr Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential aspirant now, doesn't have any trust in our own institutions and is now calling on an external body to come and investigate," he said.

He described the governor's position as "absolutely unnecessary," alleging that the incident was being turned into a political issue.

"The man is just playing politics, and it is the politics of the bizarre. He wants to weaponise anything available, including dredging up a strange conspiracy theory," Onanuga added.

Governor Makinde had earlier on Monday renewed his call for an independent international review while receiving the 45 rescued pupils and teachers formally handed over to the Oyo State Government after spending 56 days in captivity.

The governor argued that the circumstances surrounding both the abduction and the rescue operation were serious enough to warrant scrutiny by international human rights and accountability bodies, including mechanisms within the United Nations system.

According to him, the objective was not to undermine Nigeria's institutions but to strengthen public confidence through transparency and accountability.

Makinde maintained that Nigerians deserved a comprehensive account of what happened, including whether there were institutional failures, negligence or collusion, and what measures should be taken to prevent similar attacks on schools.

"This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring public confidence that every Nigerian child can go to school without fear," the governor said.

The exchange has highlighted differing positions between the Oyo State Government and the Presidency over whether the circumstances surrounding the Oriire school abduction require an independent international review, despite the successful rescue and handover of the victims.